AlphaGo – Greg Kohs

Greg Kohs (USA), AlphaGo, Doc Feature – Ten-time Emmy winner Kohs delivers with AlphaGo – a story that chronicles a journey from the backstreets of Bordeaux, past the coding terminals of Google DeepMind, to Seoul, where legendary Go master Lee Sedol faces an unproven AI challenger. As the drama unfolds, questions emerge: What can artificial intelligence reveal about a 3000-year-old game? What will it teach us about humanity? The possible ways to apply these revolutionary advances in machine learning and ability to mimic human creativity and intuition—are virtually endless. And ultimately they push ourselves beyond what we thought was possible. Human and machine working together. A perfectly crafted, well-paced story that creates all the tension of a major competition intricately connected to deep human emotions and ground-breaking innovations that force us to examine our own humanity and implications for our future. With an exceptional crew including Oscar-nominee Volker Bertelmann (Lion), Emmy winner Gary Krieg, Emmy-nominee Robert Fernandez and outstanding sound department and production crew.

The Girl and the Picture – Vanessa Roth

Vanessa Roth, Stephen D. Smith, Devorah Palladino, USC Shoah Foundation (USA), The Girl and The Picture, Doc Short – Oscar-winner Roth conveys a story of loss, legacy, and the power to change the future. In 1937, an orphaned Chinese girl and an American missionary with a camera came face-to-face in a moment that shaped history…. At age eight, Xia Shuqin and her younger sister witnessed the murder of their entire family in the Nanjing Massacre. In the days that followed, missionary John Magee documented the horror, taking in the little girls and filming them in front of the remains of their family home, creating evidence of the carnage and binding his family and theirs forever. Roth delivers a story with skill, creativity and compassion supported by a talented group of filmmakers including two-time Emmy winner Andi Gitow, Emmy-nominee McKenzie Stubbert and Emmy-nominee Daniel B. Gold.

Brent Foster (Canada), ENOUGH | The Empowered Women of Korogocho, Doc Short – Elderly women in Nairobi’s dangerous slum Korogocho are being targeted for rape and murder. A group of women, led by feisty Beatrice, learn to fight back and teach the community to help. Deft direction, compelling music and sound design and beautiful cinematography.

Robin Hauser (USA), bias, Doc Feature – bias challenges us to confront our hidden biases and understand what we risk when we follow our gut. Through exposing her own biases, filmmaker Hauser highlights the nature of implicit bias, the grip it holds on our social and professional lives, and what it will take to induce change. Well crafted, fresh, insightful and provocative.

Grant Korgan and Brian Niles (USA), The Push, Doc Feature – Korgan had it all, lost it in a tragic accident, and rose up to become the first spinal cord injured athlete to ski to the South Pole. Facing brutal elements, demanding topography, failing gear, hypothermia, physical and mental exhaustion – this is the inspirational story of overcoming adversity.

Collin Monda (USA), The Trouble With Wolves, Doc Feature – Wolves takes an up-close look at one of the most heated and controversial wildlife conservation debates of our time. The film explores whether coexistence is truly possible by hearing from people directly involved. A balanced and thought-provoking doc that presents real-world solutions.

Malcolm Green (United Kingdom), Edek, Doc Short – Janine, an 85-year old Holocaust survivor and Kapoo, a young American rapper collaborate to deliver a poignant and uniquely challenging fusion of prose, music and rap – changing the rules of film-making and storytelling, to bring a crucial part of history to a younger audience in a way never heard before.

Danielle Da Silva (Canada), Photographers Without Borders TV: HAART Kenya, Doc Short – Photographer Matilde Simas delivers a fresh look at the lives and stories of those affected by human trafficking in Kenya. An intimate look at how survivors use that experience to help others at-risk in the community. Part of a larger series featured on PWB-TV.